The
Center for Innovation
in Affordable Housing Design, is a partnership between Penn
Design and the Peoples Emergency Center Community Development
Corporation (PECCDC). Dedicated
to developing new models of affordable housing, the Center combines
an innovative real-world development approach with housing designs
produced in the academic studio. Together, the partnership will
offer tomorrow's planners and architects the opportunity for first
hand experience in design and community development process while
helping the West Powelton community served by PECCDC accomplish
sustained and equitable development.
The Center for Innovation in Affordable Housing is funded by a Community
Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) futures grant from the Office
of University Partnerships of the US Department of Housing and Urban
Development. You can find out more about the OUP
here, and more about the current COPC grants here.
This newsletter is directed toward students, educators, affordable
housing developers, designers and anyone with an interest in affordable
housing. There are two components to the newsletter.
We will have news from the ongoing COPC Future’s programs,
including our own work in West Philadelphia.
Secondly, the newsletter will include articles that we feel are
pertinent to our audience. These articles are pulled from
several sources, and the sources are listed with each article.
We encourage you to look at these other newsletters and the additional
information hosted on their home sites. This month’s
newsletter is largely pulled from the newsletters of
ArchNewsNow, KnowledgePlex,
and Planetizen.
If you know of other sources to add to the digest, have comments
on the format, or have comments on the project please feel free
to contact us at copc@design.upenn.edu
. Also feel free to pass this newsletter along to anyone who
might find it interesting. We look forward to any comments
you have.
The Editors
Articles
Housing
Outside The Bubble
Impact
Fees And Affordable Housing
Land
Trust Aims To Create Affordable Housing
County
Funds Housing Agency; Requires Support Of Other Funders
County
Commission Provides A Tool, But Hard Work Lies Ahead
Mayor
Proposes New Senior Homes Instead Of Rehabs
Tribe
Unveils Housing Complex For Elders
California
Inn Plans Affordable Rentals For Workers
Housing Complex Offers New Beginnings
Slow
Recovery: Rental Apartment Markets Continue To Improve
Disgruntled
Voters Believe That Housing Is A Key Issue
Merced
Uses High Density To Lower Apartment Rents
New
Endowment Fund To Target Barriers To Affordable Housing
Low-Income
Housing With Emphasis On Design:
Affordable
Homes Drawing People To Working-Class Towns
San
Francisco Mayor Promises Ambitious Housing Goals
Supervisors Approve Impact Fee For Condo Developers
'Green
Building' Part Of Affordable Housing Goal
Missouri Gets $21 Million Boost In Affordable Housing
Austin
Builder Shifts From Suburbs To City
Nyc
Rent Regulation Creates Unlikely Bedfellows
Affordable
Housing Vanishes In New York City
Nyc
Mayor Looks For Answers To Affordable Housing Crisis
A
Dynamic Proposal To Rebuild A Community In Central Park
Low-Income
Housing Proposed Outside City
Housing
Prices Outstripping Salaries
Housing
Prices Outstripping Salaries
Partnership
To Build 15,000 Wired Low-Cost Homes
City
Oks Housing Plan For Mid-Income Buyers
Affordable Housing Slow To Materialize; Developers Pay City
Panel
Faults Denver Neighborhood On Housing For Poor
Agency Claims No Housing Obligation
Housing
Costs Exceed Wages In Many Markets
Las
Vegas Ups Ante To Attract Teachers
Mayor Behind Neighborhood Revitalization Program
San
Francisco Votes To Move Ahead On Public Housing Overhaul
Disappearing
Section 8 Housing In Chicago
How
Small Design Decisions Support A Whole Development
Inclusionary
Zoning Takes Hold In West
Laws
Aim To Ensure Low-Cost Housing
Washington,
D.C.-Area Jurisdictions Tackle High Home Prices
Goodbye, Commute; Middle-Income Earners Buy Near Workplaces
Campaign
Seeks To Reduce Barriers To Housing Development
City
Loans $ 600k For Cooperative
Affordable
Rentals May Be Casualty Of Condo Craze
Tampa
Panel Votes 'Yes' On Central Park Village Redevelopment
Last
Of New York City Lots Go On The Block
Affordable
Developers Add Youth Programs To Housing
Limits
On Building Permits = Higher Home Prices
High
Housing Costs Are Good For Some Poor
Three
Generations, One Home
Csus
To Offer Own 'Village' For Employees
Less
Aid Given For Latino Housing
Residents Of Mobile Home Park To Own The Ground Beneath
Program
Gives Homeless Their Own Apartment For 2 Years
An
Oasis For The Homeless; 'Engagement Center' More Than A Bed
Announcements
Usc
Center For Sustainable Cities Launches Executive Education
The
Green Development Series
Counties Win Homestead Awards From
Naco
Neighborworks®
Honors Achievements In Affordable Housing
New
Legislation: Housing America's Workforce Act Of 2005
Ncced
Conference, September 19-21, Washington, D.C.
Introducing Dataplace™
-- New From Knowledgeplex®
National
Conference On Inclusionary Housing, Oct. 5-7
Lisc Rental
Housing Guides
Studies Released
The
Affordable Housing Challenge For County Governments
The
Impact Of Minority Growth And Minorities’ Rising Household
Income On Housing
Markets
The
Importance Of Wealth And Income In The Transition To Homeownership
Calls For Entries
Sept. 30 Deadline For State Leadership Fellowships
Applications Are Due Sept. 30. For More Information On The Program,
Click Here Or
Contact Quinta Martin At (202) 956-5132 Or Qmartin@Cfpa.Org.
ARTICLES
HOUSING
OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE
Already home to real estate speculators, costly South Florida is
looking for ways to
house workers, too. Jul 28 -- The Slatin Report
Planetizen August 1, 2005
IMPACT FEES AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The increasing use of impact fees raises serious concerns about
the effect of impact
fees will have on the affordability of housing. Jul 29 -- HUD News
Planetizen August 1, 2005
LAND TRUST AIMS TO CREATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
In Sarasota County, Fla., officials support the incorporation of
what will likely be the
state's fourth -- and could become its largest -- local housing
land trust, reported the
Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
COUNTY FUNDS HOUSING AGENCY; REQUIRES SUPPORT OF OTHER FUNDERS
County commissioners approved a $250,000 grant for the trust from
the county's general
fund, reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. They also pledged $250,000
a year for four
years if businesses and other funders offer meaningful contributions
of their own, the
article said.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
COUNTY COMMISSION PROVIDES A TOOL, BUT HARD WORK LIES AHEAD
County commissioners and local housing advocates deserve praise
for launching a
community land trust at a time when home values have outstripped
the average wages
of teachers, police, and other local workers, according to an editorial
in the Sarasota
Herald-Tribune.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
MAYOR PROPOSES NEW SENIOR HOMES INSTEAD OF REHABS
The mayor of Charleston, S.C., wants to redirect the city's Community
Development
Block Grant funds from home repair projects to build small, city-owned
homes that
seniors would occupy rent-free, reported The Post and Courier.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
TRIBE UNVEILS HOUSING COMPLEX FOR ELDERS
Senior members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe of northern Idaho are
enthusiastic about
their tribe's first senior housing complex thanks to its "classy"
design features, reported
the Spokesman Review.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
CALIFORNIA
INN PLANS AFFORDABLE RENTALS FOR WORKERS
To win city approval of its expansion, the Ojai Valley Inn &
Spa in Ojai, Calif., pledged to
provide more housing to lessen traffic impacts on nearby highways,
reported the Ventura
County Star.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
HOUSING
COMPLEX OFFERS NEW BEGINNINGS
In Hartford, Conn., a complex combining shelter beds and transitional
housing units is
the first such facility completed under the Connecticut Supportive
Housing PILOTS
Initiative, reported the Hartford Courant.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
SLOW
RECOVERY: RENTAL APARTMENT MARKETS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE
Although the rental industry is still recovering from its 2003 bottom,
steepening home
prices and the trend toward luxury features have shrunk the supply
of affordable
apartments for working families, reported Mortgage Banking.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
DISGRUNTLED VOTERS BELIEVE THAT HOUSING IS A KEY ISSUE
In a recent poll, more than two-thirds of likely voters said that
high housing costs caused
them to forgo spending on food, cars, and retirement savings, reported
The San Diego
Union-Tribune.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
MERCED USES HIGH DENSITY TO LOWER APARTMENT RENTS
High-density developments are gaining traction in Merced, Calif.,
which was recently
named the nation's least affordable community by The Wall Street
Journal, reported the
Modesto Bee
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
NEW
ENDOWMENT FUND TO TARGET BARRIERS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Admirers of California multifamily housing developer Will Thompson
of Thompson/
Dorfman Partners have established a fund to improve the environment
for affordable
housing by addressing development barriers, according to a press
release on Business
Wire.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
LOW-INCOME
HOUSING WITH EMPHASIS ON DESIGN:
By launching the Clancy award program nationally the Boston Society
of
Architects...telling the public as well as professionals that "socially
responsible" housing
can be designed as artfully as any other buildings. By Roger K.
Lewis- Washington Post
ArchNewsNow August 8, 2005
AFFORDABLE
HOMES DRAWING PEOPLE TO WORKING-CLASS TOWNS
As the real estate boom in Los Angeles continues, many are looking
at out of the way
towns to settle down. Aug 05 -- Los Angeles Times
Planetizen August 8, 2005
SAN
FRANCISCO MAYOR PROMISES AMBITIOUS HOUSING GOALS
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has proposed a dramatic expansion
in the number
of housing units by 2010 to alleviate housing affordability problems.
Aug 05 -- San
Francisco Examiner
Planetizen August 8, 2005
SUPERVISORS APPROVE IMPACT FEE FOR CONDO DEVELOPERS
San Francisco is requiring an additional $25 per square foot in
community impact fees
from developers seeking to build five residential high-rises in
the South of Market
neighborhood, reported The San Francisco Chronicle. The project
is expected to
generate 2,200 market-rate condominiums. While the median-priced
home in that
section of the city sells for $650,000, nearly a third of all households
there make less
than $15,000 a year, said the city supervisor who helped broker
the agreement.
KnowledgePlex August 10, 2005
'GREEN
BUILDING' PART OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING GOAL
Thanks to a $300,000 grant from The Enterprise Foundation, six new
affordable housing
developments in San Francisco will feature energy-efficient appliances
and other green
building features, reported The San Francisco Chronicle. Nonprofits
will build the
complexes with city funds as well as discounted financing and loans
from Enterprise and
its partners.
KnowledgePlex August 10, 2005
MISSOURI GETS $21 MILLION BOOST IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Two new private developments will help suburban St. Louis and St.
Joseph, Mo.,
respond to the increasing demand for affordable homes spurred by
job growth, reported
the Daily Record.
KnowledgePlex August 10, 2005
AUSTIN BUILDER SHIFTS FROM SUBURBS TO CITY
As large national builders increasingly compete for entry-level
buyers in the suburbs and
exurbs of Austin, Texas, the area's largest home builder is focusing
more heavily on
smaller projects in city neighborhoods that lack affordable homes,
reported the Austin
American-Statesman.
KnowledgePlex August 10, 2005
NYC
RENT REGULATION CREATES UNLIKELY BEDFELLOWS
According to housing experts, New York City has spent $5 billion
in the past 15 years on
affordable housing programs, reported The Boston Globe.
KnowledgePlex August 10, 2005
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING VANISHES IN NEW YORK CITY
More and more New York City landlords are leaving the city's rent-control
program,
which had created 140,000 apartments for the middle class, according
to the New York
Daily News. Authorized by a 1955 state law, the Mitchell-Lama program
gave lowinterest
mortgages and inexpensive land to apartment and co-op developers
who agreed
to keep rents low and earn only modest profits.
KnowledgePlex August 10, 2005
NYC
MAYOR LOOKS FOR ANSWERS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS
In 2003, Mayor Bloomberg launched the New Housing Marketplace, a
$3 billion initiative
to build or preserve 65,000 affordable homes by 2008. Although roughly
26,000 units are
built or being planned, advocates say the mayor could be doing more,
particularly for the
city's poorest residents, reported the Daily News.
KnowledgePlex August 10, 2005
A DYNAMIC PROPOSAL TO REBUILD A COMMUNITY IN CENTRAL PARK
After reviewing the numbers, the Tampa, Fla., Housing Authority
should say yes to a
redevelopment plan that represents "a new business model,"
according to an editorial in
the Tampa Tribune. The Central Park Group proposes replacing two
complexes -- the
484-unit Central Park public housing project and the 372-unit Tampa
Park Apartments
subsidized housing complex -- with 4,600 mixed-income units, including
about 1,500 that
meet affordability criteria. New stores, schools, offices, playgrounds,
and other amenities
would be built nearby.
KnowledgePlex August 10, 2005
LOW-INCOME HOUSING PROPOSED OUTSIDE CITY
The Housing Authority of Winston-Salem, N.C., is facing some opposition
to plans to
create more low-income housing in mixed-income areas outside the
city, reported the
Winston-Salem Journal. The authority awarded Section 8 vouchers
to a company that
plans to build an apartment complex in Walkertown near an upscale
shopping center.
KnowledgePlex August 10, 2005
HOUSING
PRICES OUTSTRIPPING SALARIES
A new study shows that a great many working class Americans are
unable to purchase
their own homes. Aug 10 -- Yahoo! Newswire
Planetizen August 11, 2005
HOUSING PRICES OUTSTRIPPING SALARIES
As hot housing markets price out more low- to middle-income buyers,
organizations
such as the Ford Foundation are focusing greater attention on manufactured
housing,
reported USA TODAY.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
PARTNERSHIP
TO BUILD 15,000 WIRED LOW-COST HOMES
The Local Initiatives Support Corp. and its tax-credit syndicate,
the National Equity Fund,
are partnering with the nonprofit One Economy to build 15,000 new
affordable homes
with high-speed Internet access over the next five years, reported
Newsday.
KnowldedgePlex August 17, 2005
CITY
OKS HOUSING PLAN FOR MID-INCOME BUYERS
In Pasadena, Calif., developers who include moderate-income housing
units in their
projects can obtain a rebate on the city's park fee, reported the
Whittier Daily News.
Units qualifying for rebates under the new workforce housing program
must be
affordable to families making $60,000 to $110,000 a year.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING SLOW TO MATERIALIZE; DEVELOPERS PAY CITY
Some leaders in Quincy, Mass., are questioning the benefits of the
town's newly
amended affordable housing ordinance, reported The Patriot Ledger.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
PANEL
FAULTS DENVER NEIGHBORHOOD ON HOUSING FOR POOR
According to a citizens' advisory committee, the developer of a
new community being
built on the site of a former Denver airport hasn't fully complied
with rental affordability
requirements, reported the Denver Post.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
AGENCY
CLAIMS NO HOUSING OBLIGATION
Montgomery County officials disagree about who is responsible for
monitoring
compliance with the affordable housing requirements, reported The
Washington Times.
According to a planning department spokeswoman, the Department of
Housing and
Community Affairs retains enforcement powers. A DHCA official disagreed,
saying it's
assumed that planners track affordable units when they approve permits.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 20055
HOUSING
COSTS EXCEED WAGES IN MANY MARKETS
A new national study ranks San Francisco, along with Orange County,
San Jose, and
Santa Cruz, Calif., among the least affordable housing markets in
the country, reported
The San Francisco Chronicle.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
LAS
VEGAS UPS ANTE TO ATTRACT TEACHERS
The Las Vegas City Council launched a pilot program to help teachers
moving to the city
buy their first homes, according to a city press release. The program
will provide up to
$30,000 in down-payment assistance to new math, science, and special
education
teachers in selected at-risk schools.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
MAYOR BEHIND NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION PROGRAM
A program to replace 18 abandoned homes in Mount Sterling, Ky.,
with new homes for
workers and other residents is becoming a state and national model,
experts told the
Lexington Herald-Leader.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
SAN
FRANCISCO VOTES TO MOVE AHEAD ON PUBLIC HOUSING OVERHAUL
The San Francisco Housing Authority Commission voted to negotiate
a deal with a
development team seeking to rebuild a troubled public housing project
as mixed-income
residences, reported The San Francisco Chronicle.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
DISAPPEARING SECTION 8 HOUSING IN CHICAGO
Residents of Lawndale Restoration have filed a lawsuit seeking to
keep the
development's federal subsidy in place, reported National Public
Radio. In the 1980s,
Lawndale's owners accepted federal project-based Section 8 subsidies,
which required
them to rent the units to qualified tenants at affordable rates.
But after the owners fell
behind on loan payments, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development
began foreclosing on the property.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
HOW
SMALL DESIGN DECISIONS SUPPORT A WHOLE DEVELOPMENT
The details — particularly the trim details — of your
affordable housing development are
some of the most important design decisions you will help make as
part of the design
team. Details are about how things come together — different
planes, different materials,
and different building elements. Carefully designing the details
is important not only
because it helps control construction and maintenance costs, but
also because these
small design moves are the ones that help make your project visually
clear.
NeighborWorks Alert August 19, 2005
INCLUSIONARY
ZONING TAKES HOLD IN WEST
The Santa Fe, N.M., City Council passed a controversial ordinance
requiring that 30
percent of units in almost all new developments be affordable, reported
the Albuquerque
Journal.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
LAWS AIM TO ENSURE LOW-COST HOUSING
Officials in Anaheim, Calif., Los Angeles, and other cities are
considering requiring
residential developers to include lower-cost units in market-rate
projects, reported the
Los Angeles Times. More than 100 municipalities statewide -- roughly
a fifth of
California's cities -- already have inclusionary zoning ordinances.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
WASHINGTON,
D.C.-AREA JURISDICTIONS TACKLE HIGH HOME PRICES
Washington, D.C.-area governments are using a range of tools to
preserve housing
affordability for low- to moderate-income residents, reported The
Washington Times.
Montgomery County, Md.'s recently amended inclusionary zoning law
requires every
new subdivision with 20 or more units to set aside 15 percent of
the units for buyers
making up to 70 percent of the area median income.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
GOODBYE,
COMMUTE; MIDDLE-INCOME EARNERS BUY NEAR WORKPLACES
"Faster than anyone imagined, relief is coming to ... Southern
California communities
where middle-class workers are starved for housing," reported
the Los Angeles Times.
Among the major developers building high-density neighborhoods on
empty lots and
abandoned factory sites is CityView, owned by former Housing and
Urban Development
Secretary Henry Cisneros.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
CAMPAIGN SEEKS TO REDUCE BARRIERS TO HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
The California Building Industry Association has launched a statewide
campaign to
enhance housing affordability by making it easier for developers
to build new homes,
reported the Press Enterprise. The Campaign for California Homeownership
seeks to
get enough land into developers' hands for housing, eliminate the
regulatory and legal
barriers that delay construction, and speed up the permitting process
for new homes.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
CITY LOANS $ 600K FOR COOPERATIVE
Thanks to a $600,000 loan from the city's affordable housing fund,
the San Luis Obispo,
Calif., Housing Authority will develop about 60 cooperative-owned
work force homes on
land purchased from Southern Pacific, reported The Tribune. According
to city and
housing officials, the program is newsworthy because cooperatives
are uncommon in
California.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
AFFORDABLE
RENTALS MAY BE CASUALTY OF CONDO CRAZE
A city councilman in Biloxi, Miss., has proposed a six-month moratorium
on converting
apartment complexes to condominiums, reported The Sun Herald. According
to the
councilman, the presence of just six vacancies in 31 rental complexes
proves that the
supply of affordable rental units -- many of which lease to people
using federal Section 8
rental subsidies -- is being threatened by condo conversions.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
TAMPA PANEL VOTES 'YES' ON CENTRAL PARK VILLAGE REDEVELOPMENT
The Tampa, Fla., Housing Authority board has accepted a proposal
to replace the 484-
unit Central Park public housing complex with a new mixed-income
community, reported
the St. Petersburg Times.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
LAST
OF NEW YORK CITY LOTS GO ON THE BLOCK
New York City is seeking development proposals for the last 248
vacant lots it owns,
reported The Daily News. The city's Department of Housing Preservation
and
Development will evaluate bids to create more than 3,200 mixed-income
housing units
on the lots.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
AFFORDABLE
DEVELOPERS ADD YOUTH PROGRAMS TO HOUSING
Affordable housing developers are increasingly incorporating youth
amenities and
community educational programs into their housing projects, according
to an opinion
article in Commercial Property News.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
LIMITS
ON BUILDING PERMITS = HIGHER HOME PRICES
In a sample of 120 metropolitan areas, the housing stock expanded
40 percent in the
1950s. In the 1990s, it rose only 14 percent. Aug 23 -- Christian
Science Monitor
Planetizen August 25, 2005
HIGH
HOUSING COSTS ARE GOOD FOR SOME POOR
Mark Alan Hughes writes that instead of fearing rising housing costs,
the poor should
benefit. Aug 24 -- Philadelphia Daily News
Planetizen August 25, 2005
THREE
GENERATIONS, ONE HOME
The growth rate has doubled for dwellings with grandparents, parents,
and kids -
bucking the independent-living trend. Aug 23 -- Christian Science
Monitor
Planetizen August 25, 2005
INNOVATIVE
PROGRAM TO AID FORMER FOSTER YOUTH LAUNCHED
As part of his Blueprint to End Homelessness, Indianapolis Mayor
Bart Peterson
partnered with community leaders to open a transitional housing
facility for former foster
kids leaving state care at age 18, according to a press release
on US Fed News.
KnowledgePlex August 30, 2005
CSUS
TO OFFER OWN 'VILLAGE' FOR EMPLOYEES
California State University, Sacramento, plans to build up to 500
affordable homes for
faculty and staff, reported the Sacramento Bee. To keep home prices
below market
rates, the university would retain ownership of the land and impose
sales covenants, the
article said.
KnowledgePlex August 30, 2005
LESS
AID GIVEN FOR LATINO HOUSING
According to a new study by the Illinois Assisted Housing Action
Research Project, a
federal housing program that finances affordable housing developments
under-serves
Chicago's Latino population, reported the Chicago Tribune. Almost
30 percent of families
living below the federal poverty level in Chicago are Latino. However,
only about a 10th
of the 2,700 households assisted through the HOME Housing Investment
Partnership
program are Latino.
KnowledgePlex August 30, 2005
RESIDENTS
OF MOBILE HOME PARK TO OWN THE GROUND BENEATH
A new Minnesota law giving mobile home park residents 45 days to
match another
buyer's offer for their parks could boost the number of parks that
are resident-owned coops,
reported the Star Tribune.
KnowledgePlex August 30, 2005
PROGRAM
GIVES HOMELESS THEIR OWN APARTMENT FOR 2 YEARS
Salt Lake City is launching a two-year pilot program "that
may change the way Utah
combats chronic homelessness," reported the Salt Lake Tribune.
KnowledgePlex August 30, 2005
AN OASIS FOR THE HOMELESS; 'ENGAGEMENT CENTER' MORE THAN A BED
In Allegheny County, Pa., leaders are pushing the establishment
of an "engagement
center" that would house the homeless and provide them with
medical care, social
services, and other supports, reported the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
KnowledgePlex August 30, 2005
Announcements
USC CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES LAUNCHES EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
Aug 10, 2005 -- USC-Center for Sustainable Cities
Planetizen August 11, 2005
THE
GREEN DEVELOPMENT SERIES
Starting in September and continuing through the fall, Experts Online
will feature three
new sessions on various aspects of green community development,
organized by LISC's
Green Development Advisory Group.
Financing Green Development - More Sensible, Feasible Than You Think
On September 22 at 2:00 p.m. ET will be the first session of the
series, moderated by
Greg Maher, LISC Deputy General Counsel. Presenters include Mat
Thall, Senior
Program Director of Boston LISC and Clare Bressani Tanko, Program
Officer of Bay
Area LISC.
LISC eNewsletter August 15, 2005
COUNTIES WIN HOMESTEAD AWARDS FROM NACO
The National Association of Counties presented its 2005 Homestead
awards to five
counties. The awards recognize excellence in using HUD's Home Investment
Partnership Program funds to provide low- and moderate-income families
with affordable
homes. The winners are Sonoma County, Calif., for its Giffen Transitional
House;
Montgomery County, Md., for its Seneca Heights special needs housing
development;
Cumberland County, N.C., for its Legion Manor senior housing facility;
Kitsap County,
Wash., for its Mutual Self-Help Program; and New Castle County,
Del., for
homeownership projects in two communities.
KnowledgePlex August 17, 2005
NEIGHBORWORKS®
HONORS ACHIEVEMENTS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Five elected officials will receive top honors from NeighborWorks
America for their
leadership in expanding the affordable housing supply for low- and
moderate-income
families and strengthening communities. The officials are Rep. David
Price (D-NC); Rep.
Robert Matsui (Rep. Matsui is awarded posthumously); Robert Morgan,
program
director, Montana Board of Housing; Gloria Rendon, superintendent
of Santa Fe, New
Mexico, schools; and Martin Lujan, board of education president,
Santa Fe, New Mexico.
NeighborWorks Alert August 19, 2005
NEW
LEGISLATION: HOUSING AMERICA'S WORKFORCE ACT OF 2005
Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Mel Martinez (R-FL), and Gordon Smith
(R-OR) have
introduced the Housing America’s Workforce Act of 2005 (S
1330). The bill provides tax
relief to working families by allowing them to exclude monies received
through employerassisted
housing (EAH) programs from their taxable income, creates an employer
tax
credit for qualified employee housing assistance programs, and establishes
a three-year
competitive grant program, administered by HUD, for nonprofits and
local governments
to aid with costs associated with administering EAH programs. In
the House, a
companion measure (HR 3194) was introduced by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez
(D-NY).
NeighborWorks Alert August 19, 2005
NCCED
CONFERENCE, SEPTEMBER 19-21, WASHINGTON, D.C.
The community economic development industry will celebrate another
milestone at the
2005 annual conference and 35th anniversary celebration dinner of
the National
Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED). The conference
will bring
together leading practitioners, funders, and government officials
to learn and share
innovative ideas, strategies and resources. The conference is particularly
timely because
it will examine public policy and the leadership challenges that
many emerging and
mature CDCs will face over the next decade.
NeighborWorks Alert August 19, 2005
INTRODUCING DATAPLACE™
-- NEW FROM KNOWLEDGEPLEX®
DataPlace by KnowledgePlex is your free online source for housing
and demographic
statistics about your community, your region, and the nation. Now
you can find all the
relevant data you need, with just a few clicks. Look up demographic,
economic, housing,
and mortgage lending data from U.S. Census, Home Mortgage Disclosure
Act, Section 8
Expiring Use, and other data sets. Or display key statistics on
any location in the United
States through colorful, customizable maps, charts, tables, and
rankings. With
DataPlace, policy-makers, practitioners, members of the media, and
scholars of housing
and community development can analyze, interpret, and apply data
to make educated
decisions and inform others.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
NATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON INCLUSIONARY HOUSING, OCT. 5-7
The Innovative Housing Institute, National Housing Conference, Policy
Link, and
Business and Professional People for the Public Interest are hosting
a conference on
inclusionary housing Oct. 5-7 in Washington, D.C. Conference sessions
will cover such
topics as debunking inclusionary housing myths, creating a successful
campaign,
administering effective ordinances, updating existing laws, and
exemplary inclusionary
housing developments.
KnowledgePlex August 30, 2005
LISC RENTAL HOUSING GUIDES
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation has released two new technical
guides to help
nonprofits working to preserve affordable rental housing. Preservation
of Affordable
Rural Housing: A Practitioners' Guide to the Section 515 Program
is intended to describe
the RHS 515 program as it exists today, some of the challenges associated
with
preserving Section 515 properties, and some successful preservation
strategies.
NeighborWorks Alert August 19, 2005
Studies Released
THE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING CHALLENGE FOR COUNTY GOVERNMENTS
The National Association of Counties, through its Center for Sustainable
Communities,
recently surveyed almost 800 county officials about the challenges
of creating affordable
homes. According to the study, county leaders view affordable housing
as one of their
top five major challenges.
KnowledgePlex August 3, 2005
THE
IMPACT OF MINORITY GROWTH AND MINORITIES’ RISING HOUSEHOLD
INCOME ON HOUSING MARKETS
by Zhu Xiao Di, Ruby Henry, Eric Belsky, and George Masnick;
THE
IMPORTANCE OF WEALTH AND INCOME IN THE TRANSITION TO
HOMEOWNERSHIP
by Zhu Xiao Di and Xiaodong Liu
HUD
STUDY FINDS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FACE BIAS
A new study by The Urban Institute for the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban
Development found that people with disabilities are often discriminated
against when
trying to rent apartments. In the Chicago-based study, about half
of hearing-impaired
people using a telephone-operator relay to search for rentals and
about a third of people
in wheelchairs visiting rental properties were discriminated against.
KnowledgePlex August 30, 2005
CALL FOR ENTRIES
SEPT. 30 DEADLINE FOR STATE LEADERSHIP
FELLOWSHIPS
The Center for Policy Alternatives' Flemming Leadership Institute
is seeking applicants
for its annual and selective fellowship programs. The annual program
serves elected
state officials who are early in their tenure in office. The selective
program serves state
legislators currently serving under term limits. Both self-nominations
and third-party
nominations are accepted. Besides meeting other eligibility criteria,
candidates should
be connected to communities, believe in the positive power of government,
and
demonstrate a commitment to public service as well as leadership
ability. Up to 35
fellows in each of the two programs will be selected. The institute
gives special
consideration to women and people of color. Applications are due
Sept. 30. For more
information on the program, click here or contact Quinta Martin
at (202) 956-5132 or
qmartin@cfpa.org.
KnowledgePlex August 23, 2005
EVENTS
NALCAB ANNUAL CONFERENCE
2005 SURVIVE &
THRIVE: CAPITALIZING ON LATINO ASSETS
The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders will
hold its annual
conference Sept. 21-24 in Kansas City, Mo. The conference -- "Survive
and Thrive:
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